Vampires Don't Understand
by hater of reality
Summary: Who wouldn't want to be a vampire? Well Kallie for one. Will a possible lifemate and friend in this new world change that?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so everyone seems to be caught up in this vampire perfect phase (yes I was included). But I got stuck into these books by Lysnay Sands, let's say there about the same as **_**Twilight **_**but****for adults. For a while I still thought all of these stories were loving and perfect, but some of Sands stories got me thinking on reason as to why this life style (if possible) might not be so great. Being me I just had to write it down. So this fanfic is following Sands story lines, and I'm not aiming for a full story because I have so much to do with school and my other stories which have unfortunately had to been forgotten for now. If I'm not making any sense to anyone please ask me to explain the story lines.**

"I don't want it." She nearly screamed again.

Darius had just spent three hours explaining what had happened to the beautiful women now standing in the spare room of his house. The accident at his workplace wasn't his fault, but Darius couldn't let this stupid woman, who had decided their computer data was more important than her life, take that life away from her. It was his company and his computer data that she'd insisted in getting when she got stuck in the collapsing building. Some freak accident where everyone had escaped, or so he'd thought.

When a lonely fire-fighter walked out of the demolished building with her in his arms, Darius hadn't thought. He'd seen it in the minds of her co-workers. She'd insisted that she grab the back-up disk for all the computer data. He'd hoped she was out, data or no data, but her limp form came out in the arms of a man who struggled to keep her weight.

_Weak mortal_. Darius remembered.

Rage had taken over and he just had to save the beautiful idiot who risked her life for his business.

_I must give her a raise, if she stays._ He thought weakly. "I saved you, there was nothing else that could be done for you." he tried explaining again.

"You don't get it. I don't want to be..."

"You're not soulless." he interrupted her. "I told you, you can still go out in the sun, touch crosses, eat garlic, sleep in a bed..."

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time, but I still don't like it. I just don't want it." She was pacing back and forth in the spare bedroom that she had woken up in. He sat on the bed watching her with interest.

"Well you've got it now. I told you, it's just a form of science..."

"And I don't want the dumb nanos." She interrupted him his time.

Darius sighed. She had to be hungry, she was pale and he could see pain lines at her eyes, but he couldn't even get her to think about blood. He would have to bring out the harsh words if he didn't get through in a minute. "Would you rather be dead?"

She finally stopped pacing and turned to glare and him, eyes narrowed. Then she huffed and sat angrily on the floor where she was standing, arms crossed over her chest.

"You're going to tell me you would rather be dead than immortal, beautiful, forever young, in peak condition, stronger..."

"You just don't get it, do you?" She interrupted him again. She didn't even know his name and was still struggling with what he was trying to tell her. Computerised nanos in her blood had turned her into a vampire, oh no wait, immortal sorry. He didn't like the word vampire. "You don't get it." she whispered, hanging her head in defeat and placing her head in her hands, elbows on her knees.

He had saved me when she thought she was dead, but was it better then actually being dead? Kallie guessed she didn't have a choice anymore.

He sighed again and moved off the bed to sit opposite her on the ground.

"What don't I get?" He finally asked. He'd been going through the last three hours trying to convince her that this was a good thing, not a bad one. He finally asked why she didn't agree, finally.

"What don't you get? What don't I get is more like it. How am I expected to keep living? My normal life has been turned upside-down. Everything I had has been swapped for the opposite. I have to give up my family, my job, everything." Kallie had raised her head and was nearly screaming again.

"I tried to tell you before, you don't have to for the first ten to twenty years. No one knows you got stuck in the building and I won't let you lose your job."

She looked at him. His eyes were hopeful. Probably hoping she would get over this and take away his guilt. She probably should take away his guilt, but she just couldn't at the moment. She still didn't like where she stood.

"That's where you're wrong. That wasn't my job. My cousin broke her leg last week. She would be your worker. Her job paid more and she asked me if I wanted to earn more money. I agreed, she made the calls to a very thankful assistant manager who no longer needed to fill in the position for the week and I was in." Kallie confessed willingly. She just couldn't lie to this guy for some reason, especially with his eyes still locked on hers, even if someone did get in trouble for this.

"Why did my assistant allow an unexperienced person to fill in and on such short notice?" Darius spoke more to himself as he released her from his stare to look wonderingly at the ground.

"Well Anny told your assistant to keep the money going into her account, she would give it to me later, and we both went through the same degree together, I just didn't like how boring reception turned out to be as a career, so I didn't follow up on it. I still know how to do it though. It was easy for me to fit into a work place where I had visited my favourite cousin so many times. I knew the place, I knew the work and barely any paper work had to be filled out, and I wouldn't be expecting a permanent job. Everyone was happy. Now I'm not."

Kallie adverted her eyes before he could look at her again and distract her. Kallie's eye sight was starting to pick up how handsome her savour is. His muscles easily seen through his shirt... not that she kept looking.

"So what do you do then? What's so important you would rather be dead?" she flinched at his words. Kallie hated him bringing up that fact that she should be dead right now.

Kallie groaned and fell backwards so that she was lying on the ground staring at the roof. This was hard enough to explain without looking at handsome, hopeful eyes.

"I'm an athlete." she sighed at the memories, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry, you're a what?" she wanted to see his face to see if he was actually confused or if that was sacrarium, but she didn't dare.

"I'm an athlete. I use to have the dream of the Olympics when I was younger. Though that ended as I got to older, the schedule stuck. That and my need to keep going with my sports. Now I teach it as well as still competing even though I know I wouldn't get to any Olympics, I can still dream. Well I did teach, I did compete and I did dream. I guess I have to let all that go now. Not in time, now, if I stand corrected."

"Why?" Kallie could hear his confusion and gave a short laugh at how he still didn't get it.

"You said my strength will get better over time. How am I meant to do any of my sports if I'm faster than the top Olympians without effort? I can't keep my job and I'll lose my family and friends. I might as well be dead. It would be better than living a pointless life for a few hundred years."

Darius finally understood why she was so upset. All of his family had turned their life-mates or some person that had family or friends already immortal. She had no-one, or soon wouldn't. Not even workmates. He'd hoped some immortal at his work would be friends with her and help her, but she didn't even work under him. High chances were that her cousin that did, wouldn't have a clue his people even existed.

Darius was at a loss for words.

Now he had nothing to entice her to liking his way of living.

His thoughts distracted him from her movements until he heard her groan of pain. Darius looked at her and found her curled in on herself in the foetal position. He crawled to His feet with a sigh. Here was the hard part, convincing her to feed when she didn't see any reason for living.


	2. Chapter 2

Pain in Kallie's stomach distracted her from their fight. The one that she might have just won, or at least gotten her point across. Strong arms scoped her up like she weighed as much as a baby. The guy, who Kallie still didn't know the name of, was carrying her somewhere. She felt ready to pass out if it wasn't for the pain rippling through her body. It felt like earlier but without the horrid images shooting through her head.

Her bum hit the hard floor and she slumped against the wall. She groaned at the pain that shot through her body at the movement.

"Sorry." Darius answered her groan. "I should have insisted on this earlier."

"What?" Kallie tried to speak but only got a weak word out. He was busying himself in the fridge next to where she was slumped. He finally appeared with bags, several bags, of something red and crouched next to her. He placed the bags on the floor and Kallie recognised them as blood bags.

"No."She groaned flicking her eyes from his to the bags. _Didn't I just win this fight?_ She thought.

She shut her eyes tight and groaned again as more pain shot through her.

"We'll talk about this more when you're thinking properly and this pain isn't a good way to go." He insisted. "Now open up."

Kallie felt an odd sensation in my mouth as he moved a bag of blood closer to her. She hated the idea of what she knew she would find there and kept her mouth shut tight, shaking her head in a weak response.

"Please, I don't want to make you, and the pains going to get worse before it gets better." Darius said gently. "Look you either do this now or I'll wait till the pain gets too much and you faint." Kallie shot her eyes open and found a blood bag sitting in front of her face. She shook her head again and tightened her arms around her paining stomach.

He sighed before grabbing her cheeks with his thumb and forefinger. He squizzed his fingers between her teeth. Kallie refused to give into the small pain it caused, but he squizzed her teeth apart opening her mouth.

Before Kallie got the chance to do anything the blood bag was attached to her teeth. She flinched back and reached up to take the bag away but he grabbed her hand with his spare one. Then moved both their hands to her other hand, so that he now held both her hands away from the bag still sitting in his other hand.

Kallie wanted to groan at her weakness, but instead a sigh of pleasure came out. Kallie closed her eyes as the pleasure swamped her mind and the pain started to slide away.

The door bell rang, the noise echoing throughout the house. Darius lifted his head from her crystal blue eyes and looked towards the door. He didn't think he was expecting anyone, then remembered his mother's promise of Aunt Marguerite's visit.

He ignored the doorbell's second ring knowing that if it was his aunt she would easily find her way in.

Darius quickly swapped the now empty bag for a second before the girl had the chance to protest again. She didn't flinch this time and just closed her eyes, slumped against the cupboard and just looked weak with defeat. My heart nearly broke at the sight.

"Darius can't you open your, oh, I'll just put my stuff away then." He turned to see his Aunt heading back out the kitchen door and shook his head at her, turning his attention back to his guest.

She was watching him with inquisitive eyes. "My Aunt." He answered her unspoken question. She just nodded.

"You could tell her your name." Darius heard Marguerite's voice from down the hall. "But you should already know that." He gave a soft growl in response.

She had obviously read the girls mind, like he should have done ages ago. Then he wouldn't have had an argument that left her in pain.

He focused back on her now surprised eyes. "Well then, my name would be Darius Argeneau. Pleasure to meet you."

Darius didn't know what to expect from what he'd said but a scarred look between the door Marguerite just left from and himself confused him.

"What's wrong?" He asked taking the now empty bag away from her.

"What's wrong? What isn't wrong with this picture? I'm in a strangers house, drinking blood, feeling like I just lost a fight and I have someone talking for me." She said in a scarred rush. She was breathing hard again and still looked to light in colour. She was using too much energy then what she could handle.

"Open." He said holding another bag out. She glared at it before closing her eyes and again reluctantly opening her mouth.

"First, I told you, my name is Darius. I'm an immortal who owns a business where your sister works. So I'm no longer a stranger. You still feel like you lost a fight because you need more blood that you wouldn't let me give you until know and part of being immortal would include mind reading as my aunt just proved. There is also controlling but we'll talk about that later." Darius spoke slowly, hoping to only have to say it once. His hopes dropped when he heard a muffled 'what?'

"I'm still human, you're still human." He tried again.

She pulled the bag away from her mouth. It was empty enough not to spill anything.

"That's not what I meant _what _over. What do you mean read minds?" She was starting to look angry now.

"Well, it helped, long ago, when it was needed, for feeding." Darius started fidgeting and looked anywhere but at her pretty face.

"Feeding?" He peaked at her. She was staring wide eyed at him like he'd killed a puppy or something.

"Yes, before there were blood banks. It was quite necessary and the nano's made it possible. It was probably more for their survival." He looked at how she'd taken this new information. She was still staring at him wide eyed, mouth hanging open, like he'd killed ten puppies rather than the one she'd originally thought of.

"I didn't kill anyone so stop looking at me like that." He nearly snapped at her.

She promptly shut her mouth and looked at the ground.

"So what am I thinking now then?" She whispered, almost afraid.

She shocked him and any anger built from the silent accusation was lost.

"I don't..."

"You won't or you can't prove that you can?" She looked up at him, her expression blank.

"I just don't like invading someone's privacy." There was silence for a minute.

"Prove it." She sounded determined. Whether it was to prove that he was wrong and her thoughts were safe or that he was wrong and all of this was wrong and just plain didn't exist.

Darius sighed before concentrating.

He frowned as he came up blank. Shouldn't her mind be scattered at the moment with everything she had to take in such a short time. Maybe it was just too scattered for him to get through, he thought.

Darius tried harder to get through any clatter of her mind.

Still nothing. He sat back confused.

"Nothing." He whispered.

"So then you can't read minds, I can't read minds, your aunt can't read minds and were all sane. Thank God." She sounded extremely relieved. Darius just sat there dumb struck.

"I can tell you that I'm very sane and that the twinge in your stomach is still hunger. Geez Darius how long did she go without blood." Marguerite had returned though he barely noticed.

"Then you... I'm... going to bed." He said quietly. Darius slowly stood, very unaware of his surroundings and Marguerite helping his still nameless guest, to her feet.

"My name's Shakale. Kallie for short." Kallie spoke softly. Darius turned in the door way of the kitchen and gave her a weak smile before disappearing into the lounge and to his room.

**Hey please tell me if you would like me to follow Lysnay Sands traditional books and up the rating to M or keep it clean at T?**

**I also and never will take credit for Lynsay Sands books.**


	3. Chapter 3

He walked out in a daze. The hint of a smile that he left her with didn't hide the fact that something was wrong.

"What did I say?" Kallie asked his aunt who was helping her to a chair at the table. She still felt like shit and expected her legs to give way at any second.

"Nothing dear, he just found out something that he wasn't expecting. Nothing major yet." She said soothingly as she walked back to the fridge. Kallie groaned mentally at what she knew was coming. She felt like a baby being bottle feed.

"Well here you go then." Kallie looked up at Marguerite, who was holding out three bags to her.

"Excuse me." She asked confused.

"Well you thought you were being feed like a baby so I thought you might like to do it yourself." Marguerite said with a smile on her face.

Her mouth fell open at Marguerite's calm words. And then there was another bag sitting in her mouth. It was starting to get annoying.

_What was that for then?_ Kallie thought.

"Well shock normally takes a few minutes for the brain to function again, but you can't wait that long before the pain comes back. I'll teach you with the next one. Now close your mouth before you spill any."

Kallie realised that her mouth was still hanging open in shock and closed it as best she could with her lips fitting around the bag.

_So what, you can read my mind? _Kallie thought again.

"Yes and your still not crazy, before you bring that thought back into your head." Marguerite moved to a kettle and added water from the sink. "Darius will teach you everything, hopefully. If there are any problems, any at all, just remember to call by son, Bastien. It's kind of his job to fix problems. Any problems that has to do with us."

Kallie nodded and took the empty bag from her mouth. "Why can't you help?" She felt worried at having this strange man who just turned her to this new life, which she still didn't want. Kallie didn't want someone who was still trying to convince me that this was better, trying to teach her how to live in this _better_ life.

"I know you don't really approve of what Darius did, but what's done is done. It's the past now. No going back. And I won't be around much. I came on business and Darius offered for me to use the spare room during that time, though that may not be possible anymore."

"Oh no, please don't leave on my part." She nearly pleaded.

"It may be best if I did anyway. I can't find Nicholas when I'm around family. Julius will kill me when he finds out where I've disappeared to. But that's none of your concern. Think you can manage this yourself now?" She asked handing her another bag before stirring some hot water with some coffee.

"How many of these do I need?" Kallie took the bag and tried to imitate the action Marguerite had done earlier. It wasn't as hard as it looked.

Marguerite nodded in approval before answering the question. "For now a couple of bags every few hours, maybe just meal times. The amount will reduce after a while and as you learn when you're hungry. Darius will help with that to."

"Hmm." Kallie mumbled over the bag. She didn't agree with much of what Marguerite was saying. She still wanted her old life back.

"Yes well, no turning back now, only thing is to go forward. Here, finish that one and have this one. I'm going to drag Darius' but back down here, I need to leave soon." She handed Kallie another bag and then left the room.

She sighed as she pulled the now empty bag from her mouth and looked out the kitchen window. The window was tinted but Kallie could see the early morning sun rising. Darius had mentioned that the sun wouldn't hurt her, but she didn't really believe him. It was the only escape she could think of. She didn't know what would happen, but knew whatever it was would be better than this life, even death.

She stopped and questioned herself on that thought. Kallie thought of the life she would have now. Family for ten years, who might already think she's dead and that would be it. She had no job to turn to, no income to keep her going; she couldn't even keep herself content with exercise. It was all gone in her eyes, which meant there was no point in raising her family's hopes when she would just be leaving them soon again anyway.

She was just going to have to face the sun. It seemed to be her only hope.

**His daze had carried him upstairs and into his room. Darius sat on the bed, oblivious to everything around him.**

A lifemate? He'd found _his _lifemate.

He'd heard that this was starting to become a bit more common, but had been brought up not to expect this. After 3000 years he really hadn't expected this. Family was the only thing that kept him going. His mother had tried to keep him in the family and even Marguerite's efforts to claim this as a work trip didn't fool him. He'd seen what happens to the old ones and going rogue wasn't on his to-do list. Darius had no such intentions. He'd seen what his kind can become, he'd even help hunt them before growing bored of that activity, and killing just for fun seemed the worst way to go.

Marguerite picked that time to interrupt my thoughts. "Well it's nice to know you haven't been thinking of that path. Martine has been concerned about you for a while. Especially when you missed Lissianna's birthday a few years ago."

Darius threw up his guards, knowing that if the rumours of Uncle Lucian having trouble, there was no chance he would be getting any peace with his thoughts.

"Oh that was a fun time. Having a newly turned read your uncle. But don't worry, I'm heading off soon. Can't be interfering with your new guest can I?"

Darius growled as his guards were shot through. "The last I heard you quite enjoyed interfering."

"Yes, well, I'll see how you're doing in a week or so. I have another Lucian on my hands and my leaving would be my interfering." Darius had no idea what his aunt was talking about and decided to kept his mouth shut.

"I just came up to say bye. I'd rather not _interfere_ and have cut my stay short. A taxi will be here in an hour. I would like it if you would call your mother. This news would put her at ease." Darius grunted a response. It was a nasty habit he'd picked up off Lucian while hunting with him. It was rude and he tried not to do it so often, but family got use to it.

"Now are you going to sulk up here all day or are you planning on entertaining your new guest?"

"Which one?" He grumbled. Even so, he stood up and followed an eager Marguerite out the door.

They re-entered the kitchen to find it empty. Darius swore under his breath. He didn't want to go looking for someone who didn't know how their body might or might not work. He turned to Marguerite who wore a confused and concerned look on her face.

Darius looked around the room, looking for answers. Eyes flying over the three empty bags sitting on the table and stopped on the open kitchen door.

Darius groaned as he walked over to it. The morning sun was shinnying on the wooden floor on the other side of the door. He crossed the thresh hold out of the kitchen and walked across the patio and down the back stairs. He stopped on the gravel path.

There sitting in the middle of the grass with her head on her knees was Kallie.

Darius walked over to her and sat down next to her. He noticed her head was down with her hands in her hair and she was shaking slightly. He put an arm around her shoulders.

She flinched before breaking down and turning into his shoulder. Darius just sat there and let her cry, rocking them both back and forth. The sun felt warm on his skin and he sighed internally at the thought of having to try to get her to take in more blood because of it.

She quietened down after awhile. He didn't speak until he heard a soft 'sorry' come from his chest.

"It's okay." He said softly. "Would you like to tell me why we're outside?"

"I was hoping you would be wrong about the sun." Her voice was muffled, but he heard her clearly and stiffened at her response.

Forget having a vampire that refused blood, Darius now had a suicidal vampire on his hands and one who was meant to be his lifemate.

**I take no credit now or ever for Lynsay Sands's books.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I have changed everything to third person and gone over the last 3 chapters while doing so, though there isn't that many changes, nothing major.**

Darius looked into her tear filled eyes before hugging her to himself. He picked her unresisting form, and stood up. Darius carried Kallie back inside and back upstairs to the guest room.

Kallie feel asleep in his arms on the way to the bedroom. Darius wasn't surprised. It had been a few hours since she had feed and a few before that of fighting. She would have woken tired to begin with. All she needed was a freightless sleep, than he could try reasoning with her again.

The sound of the doorbell brought him out of his thoughts. With one last look at Kallie's sleeping form now on the bed, Darius exited the room, closing the door behind him.

He rushed down the stairs before the doorbell woke Kallie. She needed sleep.

Darius opened the door and stopped short and just stared at the women on the other side. "Mother!" There at the door was an agitated Martine.

"Have you seen Marguerite?" Martine craned her neck looking around Darius, looking further into the room in hopes of seeing her sister in law.

"Nice to see you to." Darius said dryly. "I haven't seen her since..." Darius stopped his sentence there, worried about where that sentence would lead.

Martine's eyes shot to his. Her eyes narrowed on his before she swore."She's already left." She muttered, letting herself in.

"How...?" Darius was cut off.

"Lifemate." The word explained everything. Martine was older than Marguerite and there was no doubt that she had read his mind easier then Marguerite had.

"Why is Marguerite out here?" Darius couldn't help but try to distract his mother from the fact that his lifemate was upstairs and insist on meeting the women.

"I would have, but I need to find Marguerite. She's off to find Nicholas." Martine lead a dazed Darius down the hall, through the lounge, into the kitchen.

"I thought Nicholas went rogue?"

"Wrongly accused. He met his lifemate and she was determined to show that he couldn't possibly have done such a thing like what he was accused of. Turned out she was right, but Julius doesn't believe that the council could have made a mistake. So he asked Marguerite to stay away." Martine moved to the fridge to grab a bag. Darius still stood in a daze in the door way and didn't follow until his mother had seated at the table.

"You've lost me. How is Marguerite's dog telling her what she should and shouldn't do?"

Martine gave a sharp laugh. "Gee you've been out of the loop for a while, haven't you? Julius is Marguerite's lifemate. Long story, but you've got a long lost cousin, well half cousin."

"So she's going behind his back?"

"Yes. Marguerite's on a mission to prove to Julius that her nephew is innocent."

"How's she plan to do that?"

"Well he's already innocent, she just doesn't know the story behind it. She hasn't seen him since he turned himself in."

"He turned himself in?" Darius asked with shock, but Martine had put the bag to her teeth and didn't respond. He waited for her to finish before continuing. "So she's going to get the story and convince Julius of his innocence? But without his knowledge."

Martine took the bag from her mouth and sat it on the table. "Pretty much. I thought she was staying here, until you gained a problem."

Darius didn't like that word. "She's not a problem. She's just not use to us yet."

"I'm sorry if I find any suicidal person a problem. What are you going to do about it?"

Darius didn't like his mother referring to Kallie as a problem. She was anything but a problem. Grinding his teeth he shrugged at his mother. "Just keep showing her the good things in life until she gets use to it." He answered.

"Or you could bring her joy back."

Darius rose his eyebrows at her words. "What joy?"

"Well her family would be a good start. Her sport would be next."

"How?"

"Well find her family..."

"Not that." Darius cut her off. "She knew better than I did that she can no longer continue her sport."

"Says who?" Martine grinned at her son.

"Well unless the rules changed and we no longer have to worry about exposure, the council says so."

Martine shook her head. "And that's the reason they built a Leisure Centre."

"Who built a what?" Darius knew what a Leisure Centre was, but there was no way that hos people could use one.

"That's what you think." Martine continued answering his unspoken questions. "Some new turns thought of it a while back. Everyone knew there was no way for an immortal to interact naturally with mortals on sporting grounds, so they built an immortal only Leisure Centre. They're normally found on the outskirts of town where mortals wouldn't bother travelling to.

"Three girls started a gym, pool, kinder and various other team sports. Any mortals that became interested soon found it a bad idea and left." Martine winked at the alternate meaning. We can indulge in friendly activities while not having to worry about speed or strength."

Darius sat there in shock, mouth wide open. "Since when? How long has this been happening?" He was finally able to get out.

"Hmm, a few decades at least. It's very popular among the new turns who can find their lives suddenly very empty with family gone. There is nearly one in every major city now."

"A few decades?" Darius repeated still in shock. "Why haven't I known of this?"

"Well you boys seemed to decide that the only classification of sport was either a battle or hunting. You are all old fashion and still living in a time in which you were born. That's why it took new turns to think of the idea. Born immortals learnt from birth to control their strength and never needed the one."

"Wait and a kinder did you say?"

"Well more of a crèche. Any of our children under six can attend. They can interact with other and no one need worry about accidental exposure."

"I wouldn't think there would be enough of our children for that, with the hundred year rule and everything."

"You'd be surprised how many of our kind there actually are. It's small but there is often one class for the kids."

"All this time it's been right under my nose. How close are they?"

"Well we never really, lived close to one to ever consider it, but I think you've moved close to this town's. Should be about a half hour drive further out of town. Bastien will know. I suggest you find her cousin first though."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Since when do you say yeah, yeah?" Martine looked at him questioningly.

Since when did he. Darius couldn't remember ever saying it before. The last time he'd heard anyone say that was... this morning. He shrugged at his mother who didn't seem convinced.

Darius stood and tried to side step the situation. "I better get her cousins number then." He headed out of the kitchen on the way to his office.

"Why is it you all resist this?" He heard Martine mutter before he disappeared.

In his office he woke he's computer up. It always took too long to turn on so it seemed to permanently be on standby.

Even though Kallie had risked her life for the backup disk, everything was still on his computer. Without the backup disk all he'd lost was a week's work. He brought the computer in every Friday to update it. That was one reason he was around when the building came down. Normally he wouldn't have even been close, and then Kallie truly would have died.

Darius shuddered at the thought as he opened the employee's folder. Each employee had their own folder contained their work. It also contained a spreadsheet of their personal details. It took Darius a second remember the name of Kallie's cousin and then locate her name. There wasn't an Anny in his file yet there was an Anita. Other than that there wasn't even anything close to an Anny.

Darius smiled as he opened Anita's details. Unless Anny was a nickname for someone else, Kallie's cousin was second in command of the business. She controlled everything during the day and would report back to him with an e-mail before heading home for the day. She was even kind enough to start late most Friday's in order to work late to match what was Darius' early morning.

But the reason that Darius was smiling was even though Anita was mortal, being second in charge and so close his own workings, she knew.

Darius even had her on speed dial which was now connecting on his mobile.

"Hello." He heard a tired voice on the other end. Darius glanced at the clock and realised that 6am would be early for her.

"Sorry to wake you Anita. It's Darius. I have a question for you."

"Oh, sir." She suddenly seemed very awake. "I'm so very sorry about yesterday. I don't know what happened."

"That's alright. As long as no one was harmed. Where you there when it happened?" Darius asked with a smile. He hoped her answer would come up 'no'.

"Well... not quite..."

"So how's the leg?" Darius cut her off. She obviously didn't want to get anyone into trouble for not telling him that her cousin had taken her job for a week.

"My leg? It... umm.. has been better."

"How'd you break it?"

There was a pause and then a sigh on the other end. "Am I in trouble, sir?"

Darius let out a breath. He had Anny. "Not if I can come for a visit?"

"A visit. Sure. Though I don't have the backup." Anita sounded unsure.

"That's quite alright. I have someone I would like you to talk to, if you're up to it?"

"Anything." Anita sounded shocked. Maybe she expected to have lost her job. "When can I expect you?"

"How's an hour sound?"

"Sure." There was a pause. "And sir?"

"Hmm."

"Thank you."

Darius smiled. "I'll see you in an hour Anny." Then he hung up before she could respond.


	5. Chapter 5

Kallie woke to the doorbell. She'd been in a deep sleep and was only now coming out of it. The doorbell was the last thing.

Kallie woke with a start. There was no doorbell at her house. It took a minute for Kallie to realise that none of this had been a dream. With a groan she flopped her head back on the pillow.

There was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Endless mornings of having to wake up at 5am and refuse her body of the sleep it wanted, had in turn taught it that once she was awake, she was awake.

With another groan Kallie sat up and rubbed her eyes. The room was dark. No light even seeped through the window. The only light was from a cracked door opposite her bed.

She made to move towards the door but felt a tug at her arm. She turned to see a needle tapped into her arm. Her eyes followed the clear cord up to a now empty bag hanging from an IV stand.

"Stupid man." She muttered. He was now forcing blood into her.

She ripped the IV from her arm and quickly walked to the open door, getting as far away from the thing as possible.

Once inside, she closed the door and locked it. She turned from the door to see she was standing in a bathroom. A magnificent bathroom. Probably the size of her bedroom at home.

Just looking at the bath made her want to sink into some nice hot water and soak until her skin wrinkled. But since this wasn't her house she didn't want to invade. Though since she was dragged here against her will, consciously or not, she did need a clean. And since she saw no chance of getting out of this house anytime soon, a shower could invade as much into his ignorant life as possible.

Kallie shred her clothes and looked at them on the floor. They were covered in dust from the collapse of the building. How hadn't she noticed that before? Too many things on her mind besides clothes would do the trick.

She sighed at the thought of having to wear them again, but stepped into the shower anyway.

The hot water felt nice on her skin. Finally calming her nerves had built up over the past day.

There was a knock at the bathroom door. "Kallie are you in there." Darius' voice was muffled but Kallie heard it clearly.

"Mhmm." She sung back.

"Oh thank god." She thought she heard him mumble. "I've got some clothes for you. They'll be on the bed." He called louder the second time. Then Kallie heard his footsteps as he walked away.

Clothes? From where?

Curious, Kallie turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a big white fluffy towel that was sitting on the rack. She quickly dried her hair then left it damp on her back as she dried herself.

Wrapping the towel around herself she ignored the dirty clothes lying on the bathroom floor and exited the room.

Sure enough there sitting on the bed were black track pants and a navy blue t-shirt.

Kallie hurried back into the bathroom to collect her underwear and pulled them on before entering the bedroom again. The track pants were a size to small and clung to her hips a bit too much then what she liked. The t-shirt seemed to be a guys and was over sized.

Kallie breathed in the sent on the t-shirt as she pulled it over her head. There was the clear smell of washing detergent but there was a sweet something else in the fabric as well.

Still curious as to where the clothes had come from, Kallie raced down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom not knowing where to go. On her left was a big wooden oak door that seemed to be the front. In front of her was a wide open lounge room minus the t.v. Big, fluffy, cream coloured couches scarred the room around a glass coffee table.

Voices from the right caught Kallie's attention. She made her way down the hall where photos hung on the wall of various people. An open door on the right showed an office yet no one was in there. She continued to the door at the end that was ajar.

Pushing it open Kallie found the kitchen with three people around the dining table. They all stopped talking when she entered. Darius smiled at her, a women on his right looked at her curiously. To her right, opposite Darius was...

"Anny." Kallie smiled brightly at her cousin who was wearing an even bigger smile.

Anny moved to stand on one foot and held onto the table for support. Kallie soon replaced the table as she raced over to hug her cousin.

"It's good to see you to." Anny said by her ear.

Kallie slowly realised her cousin, and helped Anny to sit back down. Kallie stood there unsure of what to do.

Darius moved behind her and she turned to see him pulling out the chair on Anny's other side for her. Kallie slowly sat back down and Darius moved back to his other chair.

"Kallie this is my mother Martine." Darius gestured to the other women.

"Hi." Kallie said smiling politely at her.

"It's nice to meet you." Martine responded smiling back.

"So how do you feel?" Kallie turned to face her cousin who was looking at her worriedly.

"Umm..." Kallie was at a loss for words. Why was Anny here?

"Were going to give you some time. We'll be in the lounge, won't we Darius?" Martine spoke turning to her son.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Take your time." His eyes never left hers. Even as his mother lead him out of the room.

"I think he's into you." Kallie turned back to Anny who was grinning again.

"I don't think so." Kallie replied reluctantly looking back at the door where Darius had just disappeared. Kallie could only dream of a man like him.

"Hmm. He must at least a little if he was willing to turn you."

Kallie snapped her head back to her cousin. "What?"

"Honey I know. I thought I was going to get both of us in trouble when Darius called but he just wanted me to come see you. He said the whole family thing freaked you out. I can still be there after ten years, Kallie. I'm not going anywhere." Anny grabbed Kallie's hands and squizzed them reassuringly.

"And my work?" Kallie asked.

"Your teaching doesn't always require you to swim. I bet you'll get use to controlling your strength in no time. You had to for taekwondo, remember. Isn't it the same?" Anny continued.

"I guess so." Kallie looked down at the table. Has she been over reacting? Could she make this work?

"See it won't be all that bad. It'll work out. You just have to give it time. You never really worked well with change. You just have to let this _small_ change settle first. Then go back to work."

Kallie thought about it. She really didn't like change, but if someone else could go through it with her, then it mightn't be so bad.

"How come you know everything anyway?"

"It helps with the work. Being so high up I had to understand why some workers preferred to stay inside during the day, or preferred to work at night. As well as the fridges that hide in our office. There's only me and another girl that know. Everyone else in the top management offices are like you."

Kallie cringed at the 'like you'. "So how I come I didn't notice?"

"I had you work from another office. You didn't do all the work that I normally do, just the stuff that needed to be done for the week. The rest I'll pick up on when I get back. Now lets get you home so that you can get some of your stuff together. Darius wants you to stay here until your okay with everything that's happening."

Kallie just nodded. She had her family back, and one will even stay longer than ten years. Work might even pick up. This might work, only time would tell.


	6. Chapter 6

Kallie let Darius drive as she directed him in the tinted car. _In a big spacious car_, Kallie thought.

Her house looked disserted when she entered. Even though it didn't show the normal signs of not being lived in, it felt empty to Kallie. It was lucky that her dog had died last year. The milk in the fridge had gone off and stunk out the fridge. The vegetables were wilted and the only thing that could be used were the eggs.

"Lucky you won't need food." Darius made her jump as his voice came from behind her.

"Why? I can't possibly make you buy all the food." She turned to pass his probing eyes as she made her way to her bedroom. His eyes roomed over everything possible trying to get to know his life mate as much as possible.

A low whistle sounded from the door as Kallie rushed around her room grabbing anything she may need throwing them into a duffle bag as she went.

"That's a lot of trophies." Darius spoke up slowly entering the room, looking around at the three shelves full of trophies sitting on the wall. Most had a swimmer ready to dive on them, while others had someone doing some sort of kick on it.

"Year well they accumulate over the years. There really isn't that many if you look that each one is for different events, different years... etcetera." Kallie didn't look at him. She didn't feel very modest having so many trophies displaying such small achievements.

"And the fighters?" Darius asked picking up a big trophy with two white beams holding a platform and another fighter on top. Between the two beams under the little platform was gold letters saying 96.

"Taekwondo." Kallie stopped to look at Darius and finally the trophy. She walked over to him and took it from his hands, looking at it longingly. "'Student of the year' 1996. Another thing I'll now loose." She sighed again before returning it to the shelf.

Kallie walked over to her draws leaving the cupboard for now. As she pulled out the whole draw of socks and underwear dumping it on the bed, her bathers feel onto the top of the pile. Kallie sighed before grabbing the three racers and putting them back into the now empty draw.

"You may need them." Darius said softly, retrieving them from the draw.

Kallie snorted. "Yeah, when I install a pool in the back yard." Kallie threw the last sock into her bag before moving back to the cupboard. "And a pool won't fit in the none existent backyard of this apartment building."

Kallie began pulling tops and pants from the cupboard, folding them over her arm. While she did this Darius quickly snuck her bathers under a t-shirt tucked in the corner of the bag. Kallie folded the clothes she was carrying before also placing them in the bag.

She them moved to the bathroom to collect a small bag ti fill with her toiletries.

"Done." She said as she laid a brush on the top of the pile and zipping it in.

"What?" Darius turned to her looking away from the photos hanging on the wall. "Sure you don't need another bag?"

Kallie gave a high pitched laugh. "What for? Food?" The smile of her joke quickly disappeared. "Sorry. I _will_ pitch in for food though." Kallie averted her eyes and dragged her bag out the door of her bed room.

"You will not _pitch_ in for food." Darius insisted following. Kallie turned to look at him, and he took her bag from her hand. "Are you sure you don't need another bag. My sisters normally need two bags for an over nighter with their cousins. Make over's or something." Darius smiled, while Kallie become teary.

"Yeah, well I don't get to indulge it that stuff. The water and sweat washes it away. My hair got screwed long before I can remember, and even my skin hasn't felt healthy with all the chlorine. I have the stupidest tan line on my back which doesn't go well with party dresses. And that's only when I can even find a good party dress that fits properly due to my broad shoulders and sides brought on from my butterfly. My timetable never allowed me to go out Friday nights or even Saturday's sometimes.

"I got use to all this. I gave up a girly, party life to accommodate my sports, my life. What I made of it. And now it's all for nothing." Kallie broke. She hadn't cried yesterday, yelling and anger ignored that need, but now felt like a good time. She was leaving her house for god knows how long, and with it she felt she was leaving her life behind with it.

Darius dropped the bag he had taken from her and wrapped her in his arms. He felt her deep breaths fill her lungs more than probably necessary, expanding greater than any other women he'd met. He rocked her back and forth, again at a loss of words that would comfort her.

"It'll be okay. And I have a surprise for you later. You'll see. It'll be alright." Kallie didn't know if his words were for comfort or he actually had something in mind that could make this all better, but she wasn't ready to get her hopes up now only to have them crushed.

Kallie quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Sorry, I shouldn't yell at you for a decision that I made long ago, knowing the consequences. It's just hard." She sniffed once before trying to take a step out of his grasp.

Darius held her tightly in place. "I'm sorry I forced this upon you. I _will_ try to make this all better as best I can." He gave her one last tight hug before letting go. Darius picked up her bag and opened the front door. "Anything else before we leave?"

"Kallie stared at him before coming back to her senses. She slowly turned in a circle taking in every inch of her apartment before turning back to the door. "No." She shook her head before walking out and into her new life.

**If the ending doesn't make sense since she's already in her new life, I meant for it to be in a sense of Kallie finally realising that, as she leaves her house and all that she knew behind.**


	7. Chapter 7

The car ride home was another quite one. Kallie watched the landscape pass as she remembered her past and everything she was leaving behind. Her kids at work, that burning feeling when racing, that happy feeling of knowing that you have made a difference to the child's life even if they wouldn't remember it.

They reached home-if Kallie could even call it that-without a word spoken. Kallie actually stayed in the car, not realising that the car had stopped. Her door being opened shocked Kallie.

"Coming?" Darius had the car door open, her one bag on his shoulder and a hand out to help her out.

Kallie undid her seat belt and took his hand. They paused there, eyes caught in the others. Then Kallie looked away, shy, and Darius finally pulled her from the car with a smile on his face. He motioned for Kallie to walk in front of him as he closed the car door hiding his glee that she was somewhat warming up to him.

Kallie stopped at the front door. Darius placed the single suitcase on the porch to unlock the door. Again he motioned for Kallie to walk in first. Kallie hesitated. Technically this was her first time walking into his house, at not being invited just didn't seem right.

Darius sighed and leaving the bag on the porch lightly grabbed Kallie around the waist and picked her up. Kallie squealed. Darius laughed at her and was delighted when she even slightly joined in. The hallway from the front door opened out on the left to the lounge room where Darius deposited Kallie on a couch.

He was pleased to see a giant grin on her faced as she righted herself on the couch. "What was that for?" She asked.

Darius turned back to retrieve her bag. "I didn't see you moving any time soon and didn't want to force extra blood into you again because of the sun." He deposited the bag at the bottom of the stairs opposite the lounge room and turned to see an unhappy Kallie slump back down on the couch out of view.

Darius walked over and lent over the back of the couch. Kallie was lying on her back looking up at him, or past him. "Come on, it's not that bad, you'll see, it'll get better."

Kallie's eyes focused on the handsome man staring down at her. "Easy for you to say." She mumbled.

"Come on, I think it's surprise time." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up and off the couch. "First blood, then we'll go." She groaned and dug her heels in the floor. Darius sighed before turning back to her.

"If you won't walk, I'm not going to argue and we can make our way to the kitchen the same way we came in the house?" Darius rose an eye brow at Kallie who just widened her eyes.

"You wou..." He grabbed her before she could finish the sentence. Kallie put up a bit more resistance this time but still not enough to do any damage. "Put me down."

"Fine." Darius placed her on her feet right next to the fridge. He opened the fridge blocking his view of Kallie until he closed it again, three bags in hand. He found her eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" He asked, worried that she was pushing back pain again.

"Nothing. I decided that if I can't see it, I don't know it's there and my teeth won't react." She smiled weakly.

"So then you don't want your surprise?" Darius saw he eyes twitch, but she kept them shut. Darius shrugged before realising she wouldn't see it. "Okay."

"Okay?" She asked, but Darius had already put one of the bags on his own teeth. "Darius?" She asked warily.

Darius tipped the last drops of the blood onto his chin, copying his brother's method on gaining Dani's acceptance.

"Darius what are you..." Kallie trailed off again. "Shit." She mumbled and opened her eyes to glare at him, hand over her mouth.

Darius didn't expect her to kiss him yet, and licked the blood from his chin. "Why does this have to be so hard with you?" He asked.

Maybe a little too harshly he realised when her response was to growl at him.

"Please. Just two this time, then we'll go."

Kallie finally took the two bags and turned her back on him.

"I just have to pack a few things. I'll be back in less than ten minutes." Darius turned and walked out of the room.

Kallie sighed around the bag that she had attached to her teeth and sat at the table, placing the second bag there. It wasn't that bad; it was just the people pushing her to accept this different way of life so willingly. This wasn't the way she had been brought up. She was stronger than this. Able to stand up for herself.

She didn't need a babysitter or cousins who told her how different life really was and now should believe were a happy family. It was like changing a religion, and everyone was happy with it, everyone but Kallie.

The bag emptied and Kallie replaced it. She was forced into this new life, she would deal with it like she dealt with every other rock in the river of life, but if one more person should tell her how to live her life, then they would soon become happy friends with Mr. Foot.

**I don't know if anyone got the last little joke at the end, but it's something we say in taekwondo sometimes when our kicks get close to the face/head. "Say hello to Mr. Foot." And your foot would be in their near sighted view. *shrugs***


	8. Chapter 8

Darius drove Kallie in silence. She kept her head trained on the outside. He could practically feel her unease. He only hoped that it would soon disappear. Kallie had asked once where they were going but only got a 'you'll see' as a reply.

The drive only took a half hour. Through some think woods and kind of never getting out of them. If it wasn't for the huge building and car park they entered, Kallie would have asked herself if this was a kidnapping.

Kallie sat in her seat staring at her surroundings, when again her door was opened for her.

"I do know how to use a door handle, you know?" Kallie said staring at the outstretched hand.

"Yes but I prefer it this way." Darius smiled at her.

Kallie felt like blushing, but pushed it away. She still didn't know where she stood in this life, let alone her need to over look things. He was probably just old and preferred stuff that was similar to his time.

Kallie ignored his hand and stood up. She was met with a helping hand at her back. Kallie flinched at the unexpected contact.

"Sorry." Darius mumbled, removing his hand. He closed the door and led the way towards the building. A few metres from the door Kallie stopped. Darius nearly groaned.

"What's wrong?" He asked turning to face her.

"I know that smell." Well that was one surprise ruined. "What are we doing here? Why is it in the middle of know where?" Or not.

Darius smiled. "You'll see, or not." With that he turned and left her to follow. Normally he would wait for a lady, but he was beginning to doubt she would like that.

"I can't, you know?" Kallie replied, hurrying up behind him.

Darius stayed quite as he entered the building. He paid at the register and followed the signs.

"Are you trying to tease me or something?" Kallie asked. Darius walked through some sliding doors and was greeted with a heat wave. He heard Kallie groan behind him. "I can feel it." She mumbled more to herself.

Darius headed towards the change rooms. He stopped out the front where he would have to leave Kallie for a little while. He pulled something out of the bag and handed to her. "Get changed and then I'll explain."

"No you'll explain right now or I'm not coming out of there and I don't think you'll come in and get me for once." Kallie glared at him.

"Fine." Darius shoved the clothes back in the bag before heading towards the centre of the giant room, stopping just before the floor gave way to a normal, 25 metre sized pool. "What do you see?" He asked Kallie.

"Something I can't do." She retorted.

"No, watch the professionals. Look at the fast lane."

Kallie did as he asked, looking towards the third lane in the pool. She watched as a guy tumbled at the end and pushed off. He started sprinting to the other end. Kallie watched the second clock from the corner of her eye. She was sure he was going faster than possible but had to be sure. She gasp when he hit the other end in 7 seconds flat before tumbling and starting again.

She looked to the medium lane where another girl had left the wall seconds ago. Again Kallie watched the clock. 14 seconds. The speed of a top swimmer, sitting in the medium lane. "They'll be seen." She whispered.

"Did you see any houses as we drove here?" Darius questioned. Kallie's shock was written all over her face as it sunk in.

"You mean only vampi… sorry, immortals know of this place?" Kallie starting taking in her surroundings a bit better.

"Yep."

She turned on him, glaring. The smile on Darius' face quickly vanished.

"What's wrong? I thought you would be pleased." He asked wearily.

"You couldn't have told me this days ago." She nearly yelled but remembered she was in a public place, kind of.

"It hasn't been days…"

"No, but it seems like it. This could have saved you a lot of trouble if you told me within minutes of me waking up. Here I was thinking that's what you wanted." She was hissing at him, trying to keep her voice down.

"Well I didn't know what was wrong with you minutes after you woke up." Kallie hissed again and Darius hurried on, "But I only found out late yesterday when my mother told me." He gave her an apologetic look. "Would it have made that much difference?"

"We'll soon find out." With that she pushed past him back the way they came in. Darius followed her with a frown on his face to the front counter.

"Hi, do you teach here by any chance?" Kallie smiled politely to the women behind the counter, hiding any previous anger.

The women gave Kallie a strange look before answering. "Of course we do." Her face softened with realization. "Ahh you're new."

"Yes." Kellie smiled again. She didn't really like that term 'new'.

"Would you like lesions on how to control your speed, to gain more speed or just to learn how to swim?" The women asked while searching for something below the counter. Maybe a pamphlet.

"Well I guess I'll need the first one, but I was actually wondering if you needed any teachers by an off chance?" Kallie tried peering over the counter, trying to address the women better.

A soft thud was heard as the women hit her head on the top of the counter. "What?" She asked as she showed her face again. She looked slightly surprised.

"Umm, I'm looking for a job." Kallie tried again. She had lost all her anger from before and was starting to feel subconscious.

"Oh, okay. Yes, yes. We can, umm, hang on." The lady rushed from the counter through a side door. She emerged from around a corner and hurried into what looked like an office. She came back smiling and another man following her.

The women smiled at Kallie and said, "This is the manager for the learn to swim program, Garry."

"Nice to meet you." Garry held out his hand.

Kallie smiled back. "Kallie." She answered.

"Am I'm Darius." He said from her side. She had forgotten all about him, for a minute. She nearly sighed, but her mind quickly caught up with the fact that he was staring at Garry. Starring like he was about to tackle him.

Garry laughed. "Well shall we?" He asked before turning at leading the way back into the office.

He gestured to the seats in front of the desk before taking his seat behind it. The office was small was well kept. Filling cabinets on one side and only a computer sitting on the desk. The wall behind him held a window that showed a 50 metre pool surrounded by grass. It also looked cold, as a gust of wind blew over the water, making ripples.

"You'll have to excuse Shellie. She gets excited to see new people, especially one so young. You know she was one of the first to agree to the leisure centre idea. Then she dragged my... ahh... wife into it as well. Now I let the girls have all the fun while I run this place." He laughed again. His eyes kept darting to Darius and Kallie was sure she had seen Darius shake his head slightly when Garry had brought up his wife. Where the two men hiding something.

"My wife, Michelle will be running a class in ten minutes. Our way of interviewing people is to get them in the pool and see how they teach. I you like you are welcome to join her." Kallie forgot all her worries at that.

"Really." She beamed.

Garry laughed again. "Of course, that is if you're ready. As you might, or might not know, not a lot of kids come through these doors. We're lucky if we can make one class a week of students. That also leaves the class levels quite minimal. There are only five levels and the squad for all ages. Then there are the adult classes for those who have never tried swimming and classes for new ones like yourself, which you will be able to get free of charge if you feel ready for the work."

Kallie was nearly bouncing in her seat. She couldn't wait to get in the water. "Why wouldn't I be ready?"

Garry's eyes darted to Darius'again before speaking. "Some think it's too soon and like to adjust to life before getting back out there."

"Nope. I'm good."

Garry laughed again. "Well if you'd like to get changed then I can tell Michelle you'll be joining here, and she meet you in lane one."

Kallie squealed and jumped out of her seat. She stood in front of Darius holding out her hands. She opened and closed them, asking for something. It Darius a while to realise that she was in front of him and wanted something. He'd been so looked on to how Garry was seeing Kallie that he nearly forgot a conversation was going on.

"Darius." Kallie moaned childishly.

God he loved that sound. So much better than her fighting him. "Hmm?" He asked, lost in his thoughts.

"I can't go in the pool until you give me my bathers." She whined again, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Darius smiled at her. Garry laughed again and he felt that unusual feeling rise up in him again.

He handed Kallie her bathers out of the bag as he slowly realised it was jealously he was feeling. Why? Garry hadn't even done anything close to, well, anything with Kallie. Yet Garry was the first guy besides himself that she had talked to since waking up.

Darius sighed.

"You havn't told her much have you?" Garry questioned.

"She won't let me. I'm hoping this will help." Darius remembered Kallie resistance to him before now. Even ignoring the part about the sun.

"Ouch." Garry said. Darius turned to see him watching him with an apologetic face. He had obviously read his mind. "It'll get better when she learns to trust you."

"If she ever trusts me." Darius mumbled. It had seemed so unlikely until today.

"She's your life mate isn't she? Soon you'll be the only one she does trust. And when that time does come I suggest you don't let her down."

Darius frowned at the man. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"It could be as simple as sex or it could be something more. I nearly lost Michelle. Don't you do the same."


	9. Chapter 9

Kallie raced back into the pool and through to the change rooms. She was going so fast she nearly bumped into someone coming out.

"Whoa." A blond laughed at her. "I know were heal quickly, but blood in the pool isn't always the best."

"I have no idea what that's supposed to mean but I'm sorry." Kallie responded. "I guess being out of the pool for so long took a toll after all."

"Ahh, newbie. Taking lessons here then? Aren't you a bit early for the control class?" The blond smiled brightly and Kallie couldn't help but like her.

Kallie finally let herself low down a took in the woman standing in front of her. She didn't look any older than thirty, yet that was probably to be expected, wasn't it? Her blond hair was tied up on top of her head. Her skin was light and pale. Her bathers were covered by a bright light blue coloured rashy.

"Umm, not lessons for me yet. You wouldn't happen to be Michelle would you?"

"That's me. I'm sorry but I don't know you though." Michelle's face showed curiosity but the smile never left her face.

"Well I'll see you in ten then." Kallie smiled brightly back and rushed past a confused Michelle.

It was probably the quickest she'd ever gotten changed. Goggles tucked under her bathers at her hip, towel in arm and hair tied up like Michelle's. Kallie preferred to were a cap to keep her hair dry, but Darius had obviously not seen the need for it.

Kallie walked out of the change rooms, smiling, to find Darius standing outside. He hadn't changed yet and was still wearing his sweater even though the temperature had to taking its toll on him.

"Garry is talking to Michelle. Nice colour." Darius said taking Kallie's towel.

Kallie looked down and finally took in the specific bather Darius had taken from her room. One of her favourites. Black with a swirl of different colours coming from the top to mix together at her right hip, right where her goggles were tucked away.

"Thanks." Kallie rushed out, eager to get in the pool. "Aren't you swimming?"

"Maybe later."

Kallie looked over to the pool, noticing Gary on the edge of the pool talking to Michelle. Darius laughed again and Kallie looked back to see that he was a couple of steps behind her. Had she moved without noticing.

"Pool now, talk later. Pleaseeeeeee." Kallie pleaded inching closer to the pool yet again.

Darius laughed. "Okay. But maybe we can have a better talk later."

Kallie took another step. "Sure, sure, whatever." Another step. "Later, later." Another step.

Kallie was at the edge of the pool now, standing alone the middle of the pool. Michelle was about three lanes away. When Michelle looked over to Kallie and smiled, again, that was all it took. Kallie didn't care about talking and even seemed to forget about Darius. She walked quickly over to lane one making sure not to run.

"It's nice to have new excited faces around here. Jump in." Michelle said, and then laughed when Kallie lit up.

Michelle made introductions to the students as a bouncing Kallie finally started to calm down. Darius sat in a seat at the edge of the pool, watching. He smiled to himself. If he'd thought her beautiful when she woke up, then she was gorgeous now. Her face was lit up in the biggest smile and she just emitted energy and excitement all around her. The others in the lane took to her like blood.

She talked and helped and even squealed in delight when something went right. It was only when twenty minutes into the class, Kallie looked over to him, smile all one and a serious face on. He found that he didn't like that. He wanted that smile back. Right then he felt like he would do anything to get it back.

Her eyes kept flicking to him, that after five minutes of it, Darius grew uneasy. The only way out of it seemed to be moving away. Darius grabbed the bag and headed for the change rooms. Whatever was bothering her would be fixed as soon as class was over, not after she got out of the pool and spent half an hour getting changed. He would bring that smile back.

Kallie loved every minute of it. She felt normal and back at home. It was like any normal adult class except no one had a health problem or reason for swimming. They were all doing it for the fun, which made it all that much better.

It started out like any normal class and Michelle was really nice. Kallie was worried about strike rules, but when the ladies starting talking Michelle only joined in. Michelle talked as she helped someone to swim and it acted more of a distraction to the swimmer.

"Anyone noticed the new hot guy sitting out there?"

"Maybe he's looking for someone?" Wink, wink.

"Well in that case, he keeps looking over here."

These rambles quickly drew Kallie into the conversation of waiting swimmers.

"Which guy?" Kallie asked, helping one lady to stand in the unsteady water.

"The only one still in clothes."

There were four ladies in this class, and three guys. Supposedly the three guys were married to three of the girls, leaving one single. All of the guys stayed down the deep end, while the females in the shallow. If anyone had asked Kallie, she wouldn't even say any of them were together if they hadn't told her.

Michelle was over helping the guys leaving the chaterboxs for Kallie. Kallie looked up from the pool to see Darius was the only person still on pool deck fully clothed. The few kids that were playing in the pool had their parents in the pool with them. Darius seemed to be watching the class, or more so Kallie, while trying to look as if he wasn't. Kallie frowned at him.

"He wouldn't be available ladies, his found his lifemate, and this wouldn't be called swimming." Michelle came up behind them and Kallie almost jumped.

This resulted in the laughing groan of dissapoinment.

"Sorry." Kallie said turning from Darius.

"I think our students would be more to blame. Your class is over. You can return to your men." Michelle said that with a great big smile on her face. Three of the women giggled like school girls before turning to hop out of the pool. The other just smiled lightly.

"Well I have one more class but I hear someone is looking for private lessons." Michelle winked at her.

"What? Does that mean I have a job?" Kallie asked a little surprised.

"Of course silly. I think you're a better swimmers than I'll ever be, and not just in speed, but also in understanding your technique."

"Thanks." Kallie wasn't use to compliments, from anyone. It often made her wonder how uninteresting people saw her.

"You have to learn like the rest of us have, that the nanos make you perfect. I don't know what you looked like before, but if it wasn't far from what you look like now, you shouldn't worry about these sorts of things."

Kallie was taken back. Michelle had obviously read her mind, but it also made her realise that she hadn't had a good look in the mirror yet. Maybe it was fear or an absence of mirrors. Probably the first one.

"Anyway, mister hunky over there is looking for private lessons. So you don't have to stick around with me." Michelle said bringing Kallie back to the topic at hand.

"But you just said he was taken, why should I be thinking he's hunky? And what's a lifemate?" Kallie asked looking over to Darius again. He was still staring at them

"That wouldn't be a question for me to answer, but he's definitely free. I was just scaring the other off." Michelle quickly brushed the top away by turning the arriving class and marking a role.

Kallie looked over to Darius once more and frowned again. Why did everyone seem to ignore this lifemate issue? Shouldn't it be important if it keeps being brought up?

"Can I stick around for one more class?" Kallie asked Michelle. She didn't feel like facing Darius. Every minute that she was in the water, every minute her life seems to fall back into place, just added to a guilt that Kallie had about treating Darius. She hadn't been the nicest person towards him, yet he only gave nice things back. Any normal person would have kicked Kallie out of their house by now.

"Sure." Michelle answered before introducing Kallie to the class.

Kallie spent the next half an hour thinking of ways to make it up to Darius. First off would be an apology. Every time she thought of a different way to say it she would glance over at him only to find him staring back. Sometimes he would glance away, other times he seemed to be in a day dream and didn't even notice her staring.

"Right well that's the end, but if you wish to have a job I suggest he doesn't come along." Kallie did jump this time.

"Sorry." Kallie mumbled again. "I think I just realised what an arse I've been."

"Well go fix that up. You can have this shift next week and we'll work from there. Sound good." Michelle was still smiling and obviously Kallie wasn't in any trouble for not paying attention to the class.

Considering Michelle's friendliness, she left pretty quickly.

"Can you take one more student?" Drius' voice came from behind Kallie. She cringed at his friendliness and felt even worse.

"I guess lessons could make up for some of it." Kallie said more to herself turning around just in time to see the smile leave his face. Kallie hung her head in shame. Until now she had be extra rude and had even gone out of her way to make it all the worse for the only guy willing to save her life.

Without a sound and only the light wave of water, Darius was suddenly in front of her lifting her chin up. "Please tell me what's wrong now?"

There was no sarcasm in his voice, only genuine worry… for me? Thought Kallie.

"I'm sorry. So, so sorry. I've been a jerk haven't I?" Kallie tried to look away, but Darius just moved into her view.

He looked sad and confused. "I'll be better now. I'll listen to anything you have to say." Darius gave a faint smile.

"Maybe when we get back home." Kallie didn't ask whose home. "But now I'm all wet with no hopes of drying off."

That sounded so wrong, and many jokes were made about the water. Kallie blushed at her own thoughts and smiled when Darius laughed at her.

That was until he picked her up and threw a squealing Kallie into the water.

Kallie resurfaced. "And I was trying to keep my hair dry. Guess you won't be having that lesson now."

Before Darius could ask why Kallie ducked back under the water and swam off. Energy built in her muscles with each dolphin kick under the water. Kallie broke the water with freestyle and sprinted to the other end.

"Wow." Kallie breathed, barely out of breath. Darius came up doing something looking like a dog paddle. Kallie laughed as he stopped next to her, out of breath.

Kallie laughed as Darius continued to catch his breath.

"Now that's what I think to see. A smile on your pretty face." Darius said, cornering Kallie against the wall and stroked her cheek with then back of his hand, right where her smile faded quickly.

His face was so close to hers. Kallie caught her breath.

"I don't blame you." Darius said looking into her eyes so intently that Kallie nearly missed what he said.

"For what?" Kallie breathed, her eyes flicking to his lips before back to his eyes.

"For freaking out the last two days." Darius said watching her eyes.

Kallie sunk against the wall and further into the water. Darius followed, getting closer.

"So how about that lesson?" Kallie asked. Ducking under the water and under his arm that had settled on the wall behind her.

Kallie quickly resurfaced and grabbed a kick board to put between them.


	10. Chapter 10

Darius sighed as he remembered the past hour. He'd gotten so close, yet still had pushed too far. Kallie had swam off and continued to conduct a swimming lesson. Darius didn't actually want the lesson, but to spend more time with Kallie, he would do anything. That and he got to see the joy in her face as she continued some of her great joys in life.

They were now getting changed and preparing to return home. Darius had to get some more blood in her soon anyway. He only hoped that this day would make that task easier.

He was now waiting in the reception area of the pool. Kallie had just stepped through the door and smiled at him before averting her gaze. With a final sigh, Darius stood from his chair and took her bag from her arm.

Kallie actually skipped out the door and all the way to the car. Darius smiled to himself.

Kallie chatted the whole way home about classes and plans for next week. Darius couldn't follow most of it and just let her vent. She even continued talking all the way up to the front door and through the front room. Darius dumped their bags at the door to the kitchen, which Kallie promptly picked up and proceeded to walk out the back door with them. At least she had stopped talking.

"What are you doing?" Darius ask following her.

"What?" She turned to look at him before turning back to the clothes line she was now standing in front of. "Towels and bathers on the line, unless you like mouldy stuff."

Obviously a force of habit for her, Darius followed to help her.

"So feeling hungry yet?" Darius asked breaking the silence.

It obviously broke the happy mood to. Kallie froze, arms in the air, pegs in hand.

Slowly she continued what she was doing.

"I don't know." She wouldn't look at him and Darius had the feeling she wasn't only trying to hide the truth from him but also herself.

"It will get easier." Darius tried reassuring her. He held back on adding even if I have to make it so.

Kallie gave a sort of girlish snort before quickly finishing and returning to the house. Darius sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day before following her.

He was glad to find her sitting at the table. "Even if you're not hungry I suggest at least three bags." Darius pulled four out of the fridge, handing one to Kallie, setting two on the table in front of her and keeping the fourth for himself.

"I'm going to have a quick shower. Feel free to do anything you want in the house."

Kallie still wasn't meeting his eyes but responded, "Didn't you have a shower at the pool?"

Darius was a little shocked. "No. I thought home would be better. Are you telling me you did?"

"Of course I did." If she'd been looking at him, Darius was sure he would have gained a glare. She stabbed the bag she was holding into her mouth ending further conversation.

"Right, well I'm not as quick as you in the shower. I'll be back down in 30 minutes." Darius popped his own bag in is teeth before leaving the room.

Kallie watched him go. She sighed around the nearly empty bag. She'd felt normal, or as close to normal as possible, in the last couple of hours. She had actually enjoyed herself. But the mention of food had brought reality crashing back down. Was this how life was going to be from now on? Endless interruptions just so she could feed to stay alive? Staying alive shouldn't be this complicated.

Kallie thought it was hard enough before, when injuries always over took her life. Now when she was supposedly better something else crept up. Darius kept explaining how much better, healthier, happier this life was, but he'd been brought up this way. Another way wasn't an option.

Kallie dumped the now empty bag in the bin and returned the other two to the fridge. She felt hunger nagging in the back of her mind, but ignored it. She grabbed an apple out of the bowl. Normal was what she wanted right now.

Normal led her to and out the front door. She was starting to feel claustrophobic in that house and needed the air. The apple was leaving an awful taste in her mouth as bile rose u, so Kallie chucked it into the garden.

She had promised herself she wouldn't cry in front of Darius again. Crying was always a weakness in her eyes that she had already shown him once. But he wasn't here now.

On that thought tears broke free. Kallie didn't want to be near the house right now, at the risk of being caught. She ran out to the footpath and down the street.

About two blocks down Kallie slowed. The tears hadn't stopped, but she wanted a quite spot for them to stop, where she wouldn't be noticed. A park across the road and just down the street caught her attention. Kallie quickly stepped out off the curb, but didn't see the car until too late.

Darius rushed to the door. He was still soaked from head to toe with only a towel around him. Why wasn't Kallie answering the door? It was the only reason he had waited so long before rushing downstairs.

Darius yanked open the door. "What?" Then stopped. His brother was standing on his front porch.

"Decker. I haven't seen you in a while? Weren't you with the enforcers?" Darius was getting confused as to his brother's unannounced visit, as well as Kallie's were bouts.

"Get changed. We have a problem." Decker pushed Darius back into the house closing the door behind him.

"We? Why is there a 'we' in this?" Darius was still confused and his brother stern face was starting to scare him.

"Yes 'we'. Now get changed and I'll explain." Decker almost pushed Darius back up the stairs. After I found my lifemate-"

"You too?" Darius interrupted, stoping halfway up the stairs.

Decker pushed him again. "Mum was right. You are out of the loop. My lifemate and her sister were turned against their will last month by a rogue I was hunting. Her sister was moved to Seattle and we had to follow. To take her mind off things I suggested Dani start work again as well as keeping an eye on her sister Stephanie. So she's working at Seattle hospital."

"What's that got to do with me?" They were back in Darius' bedroom and he was getting more anxious by the second. Where the hell was Kallie in this entire racket? Darius moved back into the bathroom where he'd left his clothes.

"Seattle hospital is also your closest major hospital."Decker spoke slower now, as if speaking to a timid child.

"Again, what's that got to do with me?" Darius called from the bathroom.

"Dani was on duty when she called me. Said one of our kind had been brought in, but wasn't taking well to treatment. Dani's doing all she can to get herself on the case but too many mortals already know that a car accident victim has been brought in. It's going to take a lot of work."

"Again not my concern." Darius was starting to get mad. Decker was either using up his time or avoiding the major topic, Darius guessed the later. He walked out fully clothed to glare at Decker.

"No, but you are the one who's meant to be caring for said victim." Decker watched Darius carefully, again like a timid child.

"WHAT?" Darius rushed out of his room and back down the stairs. "You couldn't have gotten to the point quicker? What do you mean not taking treatment?"

Decker didn't answer the questions, instead just ushered Darius out the front door. "My car." He said.

Darius waited until they were on the road before asking again. "What do you mean not taking treatment? How did this happen?"

"I don't know the last one, but all Dani said was that her wounds weren't healing quickly. It's the only thing not raising suspicion, but it's also a concern. Now it's our job to get her out without raising that suspicion or Lucern will be out here."

Darius swore, willing the car to go faster. "So how are we doing this?"

"Like I said, Dani is trying to get on her case." Decker quickly glanced at Darius.

Darius was about to ask how Dani would help in this. "Dani's a doctor." Decker answered first, clearly reading his mind. "If she can be the only doctor attending to Kallie then no one will question an early discharge or movement. If not, there's going be more memory changing than just those who see us getting her out of there."

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the drive. To Darius it felt like hours, when the clock only showed 20 minutes passing. They rushed into the emergency department. Darius didn't ask how Decker got them through the restricted door but guessed the mind works had began.

Dani found them quickly. "I got her on my patient list, but a discharge won't work. The previous doctor ordered a close watch for the next 48 hours."

"How about a transfer?" Decker asked.

Dani nodded. "As long as someone is willing to cover up the disappearance between here and somewhere else?"

"I'll get Bastein on it." Decker replied.

Dani nodded before turning away. "This way." Decker lead Darius through the maze of wards to a curtain and a bed inside. Kallie was lying there hooked up to an IV and heart rate monitor.

Darius felt sick. Dried blood caked her face but a thin white sheet covered the rest of her body. A nasty gash across the top of her head answered where the blood had come from. Decker and Dani were right though. The gash was as clear as any mortal wound.

"Ah shit." Darius muttered turning to his brother.

Decker had moved back to the curtain. Dani appeared a second later.

"The files say she's being moved. Two nurses are coming to assist the movement to the ambulance. This is where you'll have to take over." Dani explained. "I can't come with you. My disappearance will only cause more questions."

"That's fine. We'll use the ambulance to get Kallie back home before altering their memories. I'll come back for my car when Bastein gets here." Darius only half listened to their conversation. How had Kallie gotten like this?

Two men in green uniform walked in at that moment giving Darius and Decker a confused star before gaining blank facial expressions. Deckers concentration was on both of them, but Darius could see the strain taking its toll.

"I'll take this one." Darius said, gesturing to the youngest. "Let's hurry. The quicker this is over the better."

Decker nodded as Dani walked away. Slowly the nurses started moving, picking up necessary equipment before moving Kallie.

The ride back to the house was another long one, but Darius kept quiet, worry nagging at the back of his mind the whole time.

Could things get any worse?


	11. Chapter 11

Kallie was mumbling in her sleep where Darius had left her on the bed. She had come out of unconsciousness a few hours ago, only to fall into a deep sleep. It didn't matter though. Both protected her from the pain while the nanos repaired her body.

Darius was lying on the double bed that was part of what he now considered as Kallie's room. He'd been like that since he had last attached another blood bag to her IV. It was the easiest way to get blood into her while she recovered. Bastein had come round with it and helped Darius to set it up. Bastein had been down stairs with his wife, until Darius heard the faint footsteps coming up the stairs.

Darius tore his gaze away from the sleeping Kallie to look up at his cousin as he entered the room. Bastein spoke first. "How's she going?"

"Fine for the moment. It was slow at first until we got some blood in her." Darius looked back her face. She was still calm in sleep.

"You realise why though?" Bastein's scientific mind got straight to the point.

Darius sighed. "Lack of blood to begin with. I thought we had gotten over this problem."

Bastein looked quizzically at his cousin. "What problem?"

"When she woke from being turned she refused blood and was intent on killing herself. I'd thought that bringing some of her old life back to her would have helped, and I thought it had." Darius closed his eyes on another sigh.

Bastein faced Kallie. After a moments silence Bastein sighed to. "You haven't told her have you? That your lifemates or what lifemates are?"

Darius' eyes shot open to stare at Bastein. "I didn't want to scare her further. It was hard enough trying to convince her this was better than death."

"But you can't read her?" Bastein questioned.

"No, we've already established that." Darius only barely kept his voice down.

"Did you ever think that maybe her being suicidal had nothing to do with being one of us?" Bastein spoke quietly and calmly. If he wasn't careful Kallie wouldn't be the only problem here.

Darius stopped breathing. "What are you talking about?"

Bastein turned back to Kallie, obviously reading her. "She told you about the swimming and sports and even her dreams, but she didn't mention the tole it's taken on her to have to give up those dreams, maybe she doesn't even know herself. I think it was more of just a depression before you found her and this was just the icing on the cake. Darius you have to give her something to live for besides what she already had, cause that's not going to be enough."

Darius swore under his breath turning back to watch Kallie.

"Also she doesn't like needles, so I suggest taking the IV out before she wakes up." Bastein tried to slightly distract Darius with a different task, but his worry for Kallie had grown too much.

Bastein moved to remove the now empty blood bag as Darius, in a daze, remove the IV. Bastein quietly took the IV out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut Kallie moved. She wasn't waking but her face scrunched up in her sleep. Darius allowed himself a smile at the cute face until her saw her fists clench. Kallie seemed to cringe in on herself as Darius realised something was wrong.

Kallie let out a little whimper before tossing her head to the side into the pillow. She was having a bad dream and Darius had no idea how to free her from it. He started hushing her and reached out to run his hand down her arm soothingly. Kallie froze before rolling onto her side, tucking herself to Darius chest. With another whimper she curled into a ball seeming to hide into the protection of Darius brood frame.

Darius moved his arm around Kallie, running his hand up and down her back, still murmuring soothing words to her. Kallie stopped shaking, making Darius realise that she had been shaking in the first place. He tucked himself around her.

Kallie woke with a start. She felt like she was encased in a cocoon. A warm, safe cocoon. Kallie wriggled around and felt her cocoon move.

"You're awake." She felt Darius' chest rumbled beneath her. She looked up at his face.

"What happened?" Her voice croaked out from not being.

Darius started running his fingers though her hair. "You were hurt and we had to help the nanos do their thing."

"Oh." Kallie's eyes closed again, liking the touch of his fingers through her hair. "Why?" She mumbled.

Darius could hear the tiredness in her voice. Obviously she had only woken from her nightmare and not her sleep. "I'll explain in the morning. Go back to sleep." Before he had even finished talking he could hear her breathing even out as sleep took her once more. This time no nightmares plagued her mind. Darius continued to comb his fingers through her hair until he fell into a doze himself.

Kallie slowly came back to her senses. She often woke like she was now, curled into a ball on her side, feeling miserable. She sighed realising she had to face another day.

Then her mind caught up as she realised she wasn't curled up by herself. She could smell Darius right in front of her and realised he was curled around her protectively. If she was to make any movement it would surly wake him.

She lifted her head enough to see his face. He was looking at the wall behind her, defiantly not asleep. He seemed to be deep in thought. She curled in tighter, allowing herself one more moment of bliss before uncurling herself from his arms.

Darius stopped her, hugging her closer to himself. Kallie looked up to stare at Darius again. "Can't stay here forever." She whispered

Darius swore that he heard a sadness in her voice, as if she wished she could stay there. "No, but a little longer won't hurt." Darius looked down to her gorgeous eyes. He only now saw the sadness behind them before she turned away from him again.

"What's the point? Getting up now and getting up later only changes the time." Kallie seemed more miserable than before.

"But we have nowhere to be, so time has no matter in the subject as of yet." Darius said soothingly.

Kallie wriggled further trying to get away, but Darius wouldn't budge. She finally gave up again. "So why am I wasting time in a bed next to you?" She sounded angry but there was something else there, something that she was trying to hide.

Darius leaned closer to her. Kallie tried averting her gaze again but couldn't stop the feel of his breath on her neck. "Give me one reason not to." Darius whispered by her ear.

Kallie shivered. She knew she had to protest, come up with some reason, but her mind wasn't working. She'd frozen, waiting for Darius to make the next move. Darius looked her in the eyes. Kallie had an old nagging to look away but couldn't bring herself to do so.

When she didn't make a move away from him like she had every other time, Darius swopped. His lips met hers as his hands moved around her back. Kallie was in shock, but only for a second. Her body quickly caught up even if her mind was somewhere else wondering how this had happened.

She hadn't been kissed in such a long time, and certainly never like this. Had she missed the signs? Had Darius been hinting at this for a while now? Was this what the girls at swimming had been talking about?

Darius rolled over Kallie moving her beneath him, holding himself up on his arms. His legs tangled with hers. Then Kallies mind caught up.

She froze and then cringed. Him on top of her, holding her down. Kallie ripped her face away and tried to pull her legs free. All her mind saw was him, forcing himself upon her. Not letting her move. She couldn't breathe, couldn't hear.

The weight lift and she moved. Kallie was out and against the wall quicker than Darius could blink. He had tried asking what was wrong. She had seemed fine one minute and then gone the next. She hadn't even seemed to hear him when he tried speaking to her, now she was as far away as she could get. Crying.

Darius stood, taking a step towards her. This time he noticed the shaking as well as the whimper. She was curled into that ball again, head tucked to her knees, arms around herself. "Kallie?" He whispered. She seemed to cringe against the wall further.

Darius knelt to her height, but stayed the metre away. He stayed there until her crying settled down. "Kallie?" He whispered again.

She cringed but this time not out of fear, but what seemed to be embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He heard through her tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She kept repeating, bringing on a fresh set of tears.

Darius moved closer and when she didn't react he sat next to her on the floor and hugged her. She curled into him and cried into his chest. Darius rocked them both until she calmed down the second time.

Kallie lifted her head staring at his chest. "Sorry." She mumbled one last time.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" Darius asked not letting her go.

"I didn't mean to run away. I didn't want to. I mean I liked… But I haven't…" Kallie cut herself off borrowing her face in his chest again.

Darius lifted her chin so he could see her face, but she adverted her eyes again. "Haven't?" He prompted.

"Haven't been with anyone since…" Kallie tried to turn away again, but Darius wouldn't let her. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "He nearly…" Another tear.

"Kallie?" Darius prompted again, trying to keep his voice calmed even though he had a bad feeling where this was going.

"He nearly raped me okay." This time when she moved her head he let her. Darius had had the feeling, but saying it out loud had still shocked him.

"Who?" He nearly growled.

Kallie flinched. "It doesn't matter, it didn't happen."Kallie tried to move away but Darius hugged her tighter.

"If it affects you it matters." Darius tried to sound calm. Him getting angry wasn't going to help Kallie.

"It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago. He was just stronger and I froze. I couldn't even get my body to move. I went through all the training and to get where? To not even be able to protect myself. But Anny walked in. He claimed it was never his intention. He had me believing it to. So when Anny called the police, it was his word against no one. I couldn't even deny it. I'm so weak. I don't deserve…" Kallie tried to pull away, but Darius held her back.

"I don't deserve this, leave me alone." Kallie tried hitting Darius but Darius would move.

Kallie finally gave up. She collapsed against Darius. Darius was alarmed that she'd hurt herself but he found her asleep again out of pure exhaustion. She defiantly needed more blood.


	12. Chapter 12

Darius had moved Kallie back to the bed, but she didn't stay asleep long. Maybe half an hour. But she wouldn't open her eyes.

"I know you're awake." Darius tried soothingly. But she rolled over turning her back on him. Darius shuffled closer and hugged her to his chest.

"Why do you keep trying?" She asked softly.

Darius nuzzled his face in Kallies hair. "Because you're hurting, and I made it worse. It doesn't matter if it was now or with someone else, but I promise to make this better."

Kallie didn't know what to say to that, and just stayed quite.

"Why don't we start from the beginning? Tell me why this started." Darius asked softly.

Kallie didn't like where this was going. "When what started?" She asked trying to avoid the topic.

Darius stayed patient. "The depression."

Kallie couldn't see his face but doubted she was getting out of this. "Probably began when uni started. It was only ever meant to be a back up. Swimming was going well; I was doing strength training through my taekwondo and was getting good at it. Then the injuries started. First it was my ears. That was when I was younger. Got some disease or something that eats away at the bone running from jaw to ear. Swimming had to stop and I had problems ever since. But it didn't stop me. Then in my second year of uni I fractured my ankle. I'd also sprained both before but it just kept getting worse. Taekwondo was out of the question and again swimming was slowed.

"I was twenty by the time I realised it wasn't working. Uni took up more time then I liked it to and everything else seemed to have to go on hold. The next national swimming championships came along. The girls were seventeen. Three years younger than me. They say you don't reach your peak physically until around 25, 26 but research showed that swimmers now a day's reach their goal around seventeen. It finally hit that it was way out of the question.

"Uni was my only fall back, and I didn't even like it. Office work, with me. I'd been active all my life and had picked a career where I would sit in a chair all day. I finished my course but didn't pursue the career. I became a swim teacher with temp jobs where ever they needed me. My life hasn't been on track since."

Kallie finished but Darius knew what was missing."And when did this almost rape happen?" He asked quietly.

Kallie froze and seemed to cringe away from him. Darius just hugged her closer.

"Anny saw the depression begin and set me up with this guy. I'd come home saying I was fine but she knew better. At first a new guy made me happy. But then he seemed to just stop caring. I wanted to break it off but just couldn't find it in me to hurt him. He'd put up with so much of my shit that I felt a need to repay him. Even now I can't remember if it was his idea or mine, but he said he could make it better."

Darius cringed. Hadn't he just promised the same thing?

"Then he pushed too far." Kallie didn't want to continue and Darius didn't push her. They sat in silence for a little while.

"I'm sorry." Darius finally broke the silence.

"It doesn't matter. It was my fault. I didn't say anything, I didn't even do anything. I just took it. All I remember is being frozen. If Anny hadn't walked in and snapped me out of it I don't think I would have even been able to press charges, even with the path it had taken.

"From that day I decided not to make my problems someone else's. I moved out on my own. Besides the local swimming pool and kids that don't understand I've never stayed in one job for too long." Kallie fell silent and waited for the rejection. As soon as the arms around here moved away she was out of this house. She just wasn't up to moving them herself.

"That doesn't sound like a very happy life?" Darius whispered from behind her. He seemed to be talking to himself more than Kallie.

Kallie shrugged. "Life isn't easy."

"That's not fair."

Kallie ignored him and finally moved. "Yours might be, but mine isn't. I don't get the happily ever after but I'm not about to stop you from having yours." Kallie said grabbing Darius hand from around her stomach and lifting it off her.

Darius wrapped his hand around Kallies and brought it to his lips. Her heard Kallie gasp at the contact before she tried pulling away. "No, I agree with you." Darius said.

Kallie finally froze and stopped pulling away from him. Darius continued. "Life isn't always easy but it should be sometimes. There are others to help make it easy. I promised, even if others have before, to make this better. Others might not be, but I'm a man of my words. You're not going anywhere soon."

Kallie shivered. "I won't be your burden." Then she was back to pulling away.

Darius pulled back causing Kallie to fall against him. Darius pulled Kallie on top of him and kissed her again. She wasn't trapped and the shock took a while to wear off.

When it did Kallie couldn't help but relax against him.

Darius didn't push too hard and let Kallie control it. When she finally broke away to stare down at him, Darius let her.

"What was that?" Kallie asked.

Darius gave her a small smile which broadened when Kallie blushed. "The start of making things better I hope." Darius got his answer where her face got redder.

Then Darius moved fast. It might have been a little too fast as Kallie gave out a squeal. Darius suddenly had her in his arms and was walking out of the room and down the stairs before she could protest.

"Where are we going?" Kallie asked wrapping her arms around Darius' neck.

Darius silently smiled at that. "Unless you love needles enough to have them give you blood every night, we're having lunch."

Kallie stayed quiet and didn't object, but also didn't agree.

Darius sighed before entering the kitchen. Darius had forgotten about Bastien being over and quickly hid his surprise over Terrie sitting at the table nursing a coffee. Bastien was at the coffee pot.

"Coffee?" Bastien asked trying to hide a smile.

Kallie tried to hide which only resulted in a face full of chest and more embarrassment. Darius quickly put her down before moving to the fridge.

"Yes please." Kallie said at the same time Darius answered "No".

Kallie stared at the table while Darius sighed again before opening the fridge.

Bastien placed a mug in front of Kallie who immediately took a sip. Bastien then moved to the fridge to take what Darius was pulling out. He came out with blood bags. Kallie kept her eyes on the table.

"Hey, it does get easier. When the nanos calm down you won't need as much, you don't need to worry as much and there more free time for the fun stuff." Terrie smiled, looking up at her husband as she took two bags from him.

Terrie popped one in her mouth before handing the other to Kallie. Darius placed some more on the table before walking out of the kitchen. Bastien gave Terrie a quick kiss on the forehead before following.

With the men gone it seemed easier somehow, as Kallie followed Terrie's lead.

The girls didn't talk as they let the bags empty.

"What are you going to do?" Bastien asked Darius as they left the room.

"Besides watching her every time she feeds and every time in between, I don't know how to make her see that any life is worth living. Every excuse I give her she has one against it, normally one I can't argue with. I don't like it." Darius admitted.

Bastien gave a short laugh that had no humour in it. "I don't believe it. I think you've met you match, and in the worst possible situation."

"I don't know what to do." Darius didn't even try to argue with Bastien's teasing, which slightly concerned Bastein.

Bastien took sympathy. "Let Terry see if she can help first. Sometimes there are things that us men just can't help with."

"So that's the real reason you pulled me out of the kitchen. To let the girls talk." Darius gave his cousin a sly smile.

Bastien smiled back happy to see a lighter mood. "You'll be surprised what a little heart to heart can do."

"Ahh, you'll get me all teary." Darius gave Bastien a light punch on the arm.

They both continued on to the study room to wait out the girls.


End file.
